Encounter Jesus – Matthew Week 7
What Am I Supposed to Do About All This?
Matthew 7
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As we conclude our look at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus finishes discussing our heart and returns to our actions. We encounter a Jesus who presents a challenging and terrifying set of alternatives.
Stuff (6:19-34) – We were talking about stuff last week, and talked about treasure in heaven. Tonight we go to an extremely comforting passage, at least for me!
- Anxiety – This has long been a huge comfort for me when financial concerns pop up
- We have an exaggerated sense of need – much of that is just want in 21st century America
- Lord’s Prayer asked for daily bread – what we actually need
- Jesus tells us we can and should trust God for what we need
- Read Matthew 6: 25-34
- Consistent message of the Sermon on the Mount so far – Kingdom, Kingdom, Kingdom
- Do your part for the Kingdom and his righteousness in your life – God will provide what is needed
- verse 34 – critical advice – don’t be anxious for tomorrow – live day-by-day
- This doesn’t mean don’t plan, just means, don’t fret
- Back to the Lord’s Prayer – it’s Daily bread, not weekly or monthly
- God gives us the grace and strength we need each day if we ask. We don’t get to store up. It is a daily exercise in reliance on the Lord.
Judging (7: 1-6)
- Jesus has talked a lot about our heart and what underlies all our actions, whether they appear good or bad.
- God knows our heart in every action – remember, He sees in secret!
- As Christians, we are naturally tempted to apply these truths to other people’s lives and we’re going to go to one of two extremes – both as people and as a church
- We become hyper-critical, ruthlessly judgmental, and Pharisaical
- Or we decide to judge absolutely nothing as wrong
- Jesus says both are mistakes!
- Read Matthew 7: 1-5
- Verse 1 is every non-Christian’s favorite (and only) Bible verse
- They think it means we aren’t supposed to point out wrong actions or call sins sin.
- WRONG! Judge not means don’t declare them guilty before God – that’s His job.
- It doesn’t mean you don’t identify and help someone deal with sin in their life. How do I know this? Because verse 5 says so!!!
- Matthew 18 also lays out a whole process for dealing with a brother who sins against you. Clearly Jesus is not saying to ignore sin!!!
- The call is NOT to stop discerning sin in people’s lives.
- It’s to stop nit-picking over little stuff, when we all have much bigger stuff still going on in our lives.
- Verse 2 – two measures – rabbis described God as having two different measures to judge by mercy and justice.
- We all want mercy for ourselves and justice for everybody else. It doesn’t work that way! Matthew 5: 7 – blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy!
- Verses 3-5:
- It’s about a brother – this is how we deal with other believers. Of course a non-believer is going to sin, we shouldn’t be surprised by that.
- The speck really is there – there really is an issue that needs to be dealt with
- But before you condemn someone or choose to stew over their sin:
- Examine yourself deeply and carefully for sinful attitudes or behavior
- Deal with that sin
- Then go help them see and deal with their sin
- Read Matthew 7: 6 – this is the other extreme – a failure to be discerning about the attitudes and behaviors of others who are opposed to the gospel. When you see that situation, move on – you’ve planted your seed and let others water it.
The Conclusion – What We’re Supposed to Do With All This (Matthew 7: 12-27)
- Jesus talked a lot about why we do things, which is critically important. Doing the right things for the wrong reasons is wrong
- But that heart must result in doing something, or else it hasn’t been changed by Jesus
- Read Matthew 7: 12 – The Golden Rule, not unique to Jesus, do to others as we’d have done to us.
- 4 Pairs – the Choices We Have Now That We Know What Jesus Said
- Read Matthew 7: 13-14 – Two gates – one to destruction, one to life
- Jesus doesn’t say here what the narrow gate/path is, just that there is one
- John 10: 9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
- John 14: 6. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
- It is faith that saves us – only faith
- But if the faith is real, if our hearts are truly regenerated, then Jesus is crystal clear in these next 3 pairs – we will prove it by our actions
- Read Matthew 7: 15-20 – if we’re right on the inside there will be fruit
- A perpetually angry, unhappy Christian is suspect
- Check your own attitudes. You may not actually be saved – you may yet need to trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, even if you’ve been coming to church for years.
- Jesus is talking damnation here – so this matters!
- Read Matthew 7: 21-23 – Some regular church-goers will be shocked at the final judgment – we’ll see that again in Matthew 25.
- It’s not enough to say the right churchy words
- Must do the will of God
- Otherwise Jesus is speaking of eternal separation from Him – we call that Hell
- Read Matthew 7: 24-27 – The person who does what Jesus says – good. The person who doesn’t – destruction.
- 4 times repetition – Do the things God says, do the things Jesus says and you will be saved – Jesus guarantees it and the Holy Spirit’s presence in our life ensures it.
- If you don’t do those things, you have nominal faith without works – that’s dead, not living faith.
- Only damnation awaits a nominal Christian who shows no evidence of a changed heart other than a Jesus fish on his or her car.
- Read Matthew 7: 13-14 – Two gates – one to destruction, one to life
And the people were astonished, because Jesus taught so authoritatively. This is both the reality of Jesus and who He is, He is astonishing and the introduction to the next section of Matthew, in which Jesus demonstrates His authority.